Well-built, Stylish, Sporty With Excellent Fuel Economy. —
Thoroughly enjoyed this car. Regular maintenance resulted in reliability and cost savings at the end of the day. Had absolutely no major mechanical or engine problems. Car has performed in an excellent and dependable manner. We regret having to part with it due to our need for a larger sedan to accommodate our three young grandchildren.

Primary Use: Commuting to work

Pros:
Very good fuel economy (we always stayed within the posted speed limit). Regular service maintenance and no major repair costs. Compact and stylish body and wheels. Has sufficient power during acceleration. Braking and handling very good. Feel safe while driving. Nice dashboard display. Built tight with no noticeable noises and/or vibrations.

Cons:
With large family and adults, sufficient seating space becomes an issue. Cargo space is adequate for this size vehicle but has limitations if packing travel luggage for multiple adults.

Owned 5 Years And Only Changed Oil, Tuned Up. No Issues —
Great value. Very fuel efficient given that it can tow a good bit and can carry a bunch of stuff with the back seats folded down. If the vehicle were to have a downside, it is poor acceleration: a small V4, but ya gotta give something to get something, right?

Give It A Try And See What U Think —
if your lookin for a car that is fun and versitle than this
is the car for you. with its peppy 2zzge motor and the
6 speed manual youll never be stuck in the back and
with the hard plastic in the trunk youll never worry
bout what to put in the car but how much u can cram
in it.

Fun Marix Toy —
Handling, braking great. Would like more acceleration, but hey, it's a V4. Hasn't needed many repairs besides the ones my exhubby caused it (25 mph right into a guard rail - MORON!)... days after we bought it. Appearance is sporty, best interior features are the wall outlet and hard plastic interior in back hatch area behind back seats. Very utilitarian! Cost is low, good gas mileage and low maintenance costs especially through Grease Monkey/Quik Lube. Fun factor?? YES totally fun to drive!! Love my car, just paid it off too!! :D

Primary Use: Commuting to work

Pros:
Exterior, Interior, ALL MINE

Cons:
front farring (sp?) is flimsy, some interior features becoming loose on doors

Goes Fast, Looks Great, Very Economical And Fun To Drive —
fast acceleration, great sound system, sporty interior, super sexy grill and sleek black finish. oh ya! I get at least sometimes more than 300 miles to a tank. It's very fun to drive. Its a car that gets attention. Lots of room for travel or relocating

Clutch Problems —
I bought the car brand new and in 4 years I have had to change the clutch twice. Later it had a problem with the barring which luckily was covered with my insurance. I used to own a Nissan which I had for over 5 years and did not have to change the clutch once. You cannot drive on the freeway with the back windows down because it makes a disturbing noise.

purchased vehicle used in 2006.It had 82000 kilometers (49000 miles) on odometer when purchased.Immediately changed oil to Mobil 1 5-W-30 synthetic, drove for a week & changed again.Oil & synthetic filter is changed every 4 months, regardless of mileage, & goes down the width of a toothpick between changes.
This is february 2009, there is now 126,400 kilometers (75600 miles) on vehicle & still running like day I bought it!
I did change spark plugs (replaced with factory originals)when I purchased it.
I quite regularily make a 240 mile trip north form my home, half on 4 & 6 lane hyway & half on 2 lane secondary (paved) roads.
4 lane speeds run from 110 kilo (66app mile per hour) up to 130 kilo (80app mph) & the vehicle handles great.
I always average between 40 miles per gallon & 45 miles per gallon on these trips !!
I convert litres to gallons using 1 gallon = 4.5 liters, which is very close to an american gallon of liquid!
My only complaint?
The seat gets a little hard on the derriere on long trips.
solution... purchased after market plugin heated seat cushion
Insert satisfied smile here !
:)
Maintenance...
change the oil & filter every 4 months & check tire pressure regularily.
install K&N filter, clean & re-oil once a year & save your money!
Fun to Drive...
Darn straight it is.
very decent acceleration (if I wanted to get to 60 miles an hour in 3 seconds, I would have bought a Ferrari)
Very stable on hyway with no wandering or lurching around.Steering is fast & accurate(I have General 205-55-16 all season tires, they work just fine for me) & are wearing evenly (rotate every 2nd oil change)
I plan on keeping this vehicle forever, & given the performance so far, that seems to be a reality more so than wishful thinking!
Recommend to a friend ?
Heck... I would recommend it to anyone who wants decent performance, good reliability, & excellent fuel mileage in a daily driver.
I am 68 years old, have driven vehicles since I was 12 years old on the farm, have owned a trillion vehicles over all those years.
I was an automotive bodyman for over 35 years, so I feel qualified to write a review, & NO, Toyota doesn't even know me, let alone throw a chunk of change my way for this review!
(I wish)
By the way.. I live in Ontario, Canada, so operating a vehicle in extrems of temperatures is the norm (think 20 below 0 for days at a time, & 80 above in summer !)

Functional And Fun... —
Maybe not the fastest or sportiest car but I bought it for the space, engine size and convenience as a commuter car. That I can load a 8 foot 2 by was a major selling point as well. Couldn't be more pleased. Haven't had any problems without other stock tires wearing out fast and no grip. Definitely would recommend.

Little Car That Could —
i've had this matrix for not too long, and so far i'm liking it... it has a lot of potential if you have time to put your time and effort into making it yours rather then stock... it has tons of rooms, the ride feels a lot better then the ford/dodge counter parts... test drove the ford focus, and the dodge caliber, and i wasn't impressed with the way the interior stylings of either of them

Pros:
nice ride feel... manageable acceleration, alot of head room for tall people, a lot of sitting and leg room for the back passengers... cargo room is great... both the interior and the exterior stylings are right on the money... love the top speed at 140 mph stock

Cons:
alot of old people drives it down here in florida... so people tend to underestimate its capabilities... acceleration could use improvements... low end torque is lagging behind other small wagon competitors

Reviews From Other Years

Good ProductBy Annie

Engine way more powerful than the earlier model. Seat covering not meant for family. It get dirty easily. Fuel economy sensibly same as the 2005 model even with bigger engine. Don't like the sound ...
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Leased For 3 Years, Now Have Owned For 2, And Can't Find Anything New I Like Better.By slyall

I really like this car, and wish Toyota hadn't given up on it. The new Corolla is nice, but with only one engine and no hatchback version, they are missing out on alot of buyers. A new version of th...
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A Practical HatchbackBy Austin

The Matrix was a great vehicle for a college student. Moving from dorm to dorm, the hard plastic on the rear seatbacks made moving a breeze.
Driving dynamics were well-controlled but lacking in exci...
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Good Economical Fast Little Car Which Will Go Forever...By docnoll

Toyota makes cars that will go over 300,000 miles with very little upkeep.. This is another one in that category...Sharp little car that looks great and very comfortable...Wish the inside didn't have ...
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Good Car Overall But Interior Is Terrible!!!By Steven

how it handles in the snow and the fuel good on gas and cheap to repair overall but interior needs to be changed constant water spots that don't go away whats the solution?? does any one know ema...
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I Really Enjoy My MatrixBy RobertOMalley

I enjoy my Matrix. This is my first car. I am upset that they have decided to discontinue the model. I believe they are making a mistake unless they replace it with something similar. We will see what...
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Fun Little Commuter CarBy Landon

Drove this car on a daily basis for close to 5 years. It was a wonderful handling car with plenty of room for the family but enough pep to keep me happy. Fuel mileage was about 29MPG overall, which ...
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Very GoodBy Oregonian

Overalll the Matrix was a good car that served us well for the 7 years we owned it. We had no complaints about it except for road noise. It was easy to drive and park. The mileage was decent. It ...
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Versatility Wins On PerformanceBy Denis

Got this car although it was not one of my top choices and I'm glad I got convinced! Best versatility and style in it's class in my opinion. Cheap'esk to drive but offers enough fun even for a Toyota....
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